Foot & Ankle Recovery

After an injury or surgery, an exercise conditioning program will help you return to daily activities and enjoy a more active, healthy lifestyle. To ensure that the program is safe and effective for you, it should be performed under your doctor's supervision. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist about which exercises will best help you meet your rehabilitation goals.

Flexibility : Stretching the muscles that you strengthen is important for restoring range of motion and preventing injury. Gently stretching after strengthening exercises can help reduce muscle soreness and keep your muscles long and flexible.

Warm up : Before doing the exercises, warm up with 5 to 10 minutes of low impact activity, like walking or riding a stationary bicycle.

Stretch : After the warm-up, do the stretching exercises before moving on to the strengthening exercises.

Do not ignore pain : You should not feel pain during an exercise. Talk to your doctor or physical therapist if you have any pain while exercising.

There are many exercises which will help you meet your rehabilitation goals.

1.Heel Cord Stretch

Main Muscles : Gastrocnemius-soleus complex

Equipment Needed : None

Repetitions : 2 sets of 10

Days per week : 6 to 7

Step-by-step directions:

~ Stand facing a wall with your unaffected leg forward with a slight bend at the
knee. Your affected leg is straight and behind you, with the heel flat and the
toes pointed in slightly.
~ Keep both heels flat on the floor and press your hips forward toward the wall.
~ Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and then relax for 30 seconds. Repeat.

2.Heel Cord Stretch with Bent Knee

Main Muscles : Soleus

Equipment Needed : None

Repetitions : 2 sets of 10

Days per week : 6 to 7

Step-by-step directions:

~ Stand facing a wall with your unaffected leg forward with a slight bend at the
knee. Your affected leg is behind you, with the knee bent and the toes pointed
in slightly.
~ Keep both heels flat on the floor and press your hips forward toward the wall.
~ Hold the stretch for 30 seconds and then relax for 30 seconds. Repeat.

3.Golf Ball Roll

Main Muscles : Plantar fascia ligament

Equipment Needed : Golf ball

Repetitions : 1

Days per week : Daily

Step-by-step directions:

~ Sit on a stable chair with both feet planted on the floor.
~ Roll a golf ball under the arch of your affected foot for 2 minutes.

4.Towel Stretch

Main Muscles : Gastrocnemius-soleus complex

Equipment Needed : Hand towel

Repetitions : 2 sets of 10

Days per week : 6 to 7

Step-by-step directions:

~ Sit on the floor with both legs out in front of you.
~ Loop a towel around the ball of your affected foot and grasp the
ends of the towel in your hands.
~ Keep your affected leg straight and pull the towel toward you.
~ Hold for 30 seconds and then relax for 30 seconds. Repeat 3 times.

5. Calf Raises

Main Muscles : Gastrocnemius-soleus complex

Equipment Needed : Chair for support

Repetitions : 2 sets of 10

Days per week : 6 to 7

Step-by-step directions:

~ Stand with your weight evenly distributed over both feet. Hold onto the back of a chair or a wall for balance.
~ Lift your unaffected foot off of the floor so that all of your weight is placed on your affected foot.
~ Raise the heel of your affected foot as high as you can, then lower.
~ Repeat 10 times.

6. Ankle Range Of Motion

Main Muscles : Dorsiflexors, plantar flexors, invertors, evertors

Equipment Needed : None

Repetitions : 2 sets of 10

Days per week : 6 to 7

Step-by-step directions:

~ Sit down so that your feet do not touch the floor.
~ Use your foot to write each letter of the alphabet in the air. Lead with your big toe.

7.Marble Pickup

Main Muscles : Plantar flexors

Equipment Needed : 20 marbles

Repetitions : 20

Days per week : Daily

Step-by-step directions:

~ Sit with both feet flat and place 20 marbles on the floor in front of you.
~ Use your toes to pick up one marble at a time and place into a bowl.
~ Repeat until you have picked up all the marbles.

8. Towel Curls

Main Muscles : Plantar flexors

Equipment Needed : Hand towel

Repetitions : 5

Days per week : Daily

Step-by-step directions:

~ Sit with both feet flat and place a small towel on the floor in front of you.
~ Grab the center of the towel with your toes and curl the towel
toward you.
~ Relax and repeat.

9.Ankle Dorsiflexion / Plantar Flexion

Main Muscles : Anterior tibialis, gastrocnemius-soleus complex

Equipment Needed : Use an elastic stretch band of comfortable resistance

Repetitions : 3 sets of 10

Days per week : 3

Step-by-step directions:

~ Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you.
~ For dorsiflexion, anchor the elastic band on a chair or table leg,
then wrap it around your foot.
~ Pull your toes toward you and slowly return to the start position.
Repeat 10 times.
~ For plantar flexion, wrap the elastic band around your foot and
hold the ends in your hand.
~ Gently point your toes and slowly return to the start position.
Repeat 10 times.

The small puncture wounds take several days to heal. The operative dressing can usually be removed the morning after surgery and adhesive strips can be applied to cover the small healing incisions.

Although the puncture wounds are small and pain in the joint that underwent arthroscopy is minimal, it takes several weeks for the joint to maximally recover. A specific activity and rehabilitation program may be suggested to speed your recover and protect future joint function.